Modern automotive vehicles include increasing technology for a variety of purposes. In addition, many drivers and passengers bring portable electronic devices, such as mobile phones or tablet computers, into vehicles. There are known technologies for charging such devices using electromagnetic induction rather than requiring a physical power supply cable connection with the device. For example, charging pads upon which a portable electronic device may be placed for purposes of charging the power supply of the device are available.
While it would be useful to provide such charging capabilities within a vehicle, it is not without challenges. One aspect involves incorporating charging devices in a manner that does not disrupt the aesthetics of the vehicle interior. The look and feel of the vehicle interior is important to many vehicle owners, especially in higher end vehicles. It would be useful to essentially hide any charging pads within the vehicle interior to avoid disrupting the interior aesthetics but that presents potential difficulties for an individual to properly situate a device to be charged. Additionally, adding charging devices or pads to a vehicle introduces additional load on the vehicle electrical power system. As vehicles incorporate more and more electronics, power usage management becomes an increasingly important concern.
Embodiments of this invention make it possible to incorporate multiple charging devices into a vehicle interior and to manage power consumption associated with such charging devices.